Truck Progress and Golf

I called the Ford Motor Company first thing in the morning yesterday. It was a good exchange with them as they didn't immediately reject my request for help to cover the radiator problem. Even though that specific component on the vehicle is out of warranty, they agreed that 26,000 miles is an unusually low mileage for this type of problem. Without agreeing to cover the total cost for a new radiator, they did commit to paying to have the vehicle towed from Jackson to Afton, WY - 55 miles - to the nearest Ford Dealer. The tow truck arrived at 11 AM and the driver was the General Manager from the Afton dealership. He is the son of the owner and he gave me hope that Ford would be covering the total cost. He indicated that this was a common problem with this vehicle and they have replaced many radiators as a result of a faulty 2 thermostat system that is installed with this engine. Evidently, one of the thermostats tends to "stick", and when it opens, the excessive pressure results in the damage to the radiator. He also indicated that Ford would not have contracted for him to travel from Afton, WY to pick up my truck if they weren't going to cover the repair. I hope he's right and I will follow up this morning with the dealership for an update.

The other activity yesterday was a round of golf with one of the workers here at the RV park. Duane picked me up at 3:45 to drive the approximately 30 miles to the Targhee Village Golf Course. It was almost on the state line between Idaho and Wyoming and was on the backside of the Grand Teton National Park. It was a great setting and a decent golf course. It was only a 9 hole course that you play twice for 18 holes, but the course was in great shape. It wasn't a difficult course - no sand traps, but several water holes. I didn't expect to play very well as I haven't played in about 4 years, but I was satisfied with the result. I shot 104 on this long course and had 5 pars. My friend Duane shot 113 so I didn't feel too bad. The best news was I only lost 1 ball. Even though it was a fun time, I probably won't be playing again for awhile since we like to use our days off doing things together while enjoying the area. I can play golf anywhere, but our time in this area is limited, so we want to enjoy it to the maximum.

It looks like we will do a "modified" trip to Idaho Falls today. We will only do the stop at Sam's Club and maybe Walmart and eliminate the extended portion to Pocatello and the visit to Costco and the casino. That will have to be another time. We want to make sure there is no expense with the truck repair before splurging on the extended portion of the trip. We'll have some breakfast and be on our way...